1 Mar 2016

After Sunday's League Cup choker at Wembley, it's Man City again for Liverpool tomorrow, and ahead of the game, the Reds' ongoing injury curse appears to have claimed another victim, with 'outstanding' midfielder Lucas Leiva now set for a spell on the sidelines.

"It doesn’t look too good with Lucas^. He had problems with a muscle when he shot the penalty, so I think he is not available. With Mama, I have to wait for the final judgement of the Doc.”

Hmmm. If Milner or Henderson had stepped-up to take a penalties instead of Lucas then this injury wouldn't have happened. Just a thought.

Klopp also added:

“We don’t want to go and risk tomorrow. It’s not that the game is not too important, it’s about thinking ‘Can I bring in another [player] that is 100 per cent fit?".

Even with Sakho and Lucas out, Klopp has nothing to complain about when it comes to player availability:

* Lovren is back in training and is nearing a return. Caulker is fully-fit and available, as is Kolo Toure.

* Benteke, Origi, Lallana, and Allen all made the bench on Sunday, so they're presumably available, as is Jordon Ibe.

* Klopp also has the likes of Smith, Teixeira, and Brannagan available, all of whom have gained valuable first-team experience this season.

If Louis Van Gaal can play 19-year old Marcus Rashford against Arsenal, then Klopp can play Smith, Teixeira (or even Ilori) against Man City. What difference does it make anyway? There's no chance of finishing in the top four so why not just give these players experience in the league?